Artist Robert Barnes (American, b. 1934)
Title Honeymoon on Lake Michigan
Series The Dil Pickle Club
Date July 12, 2012
Medium Pastel and casein on paper
Dimensions Image: 16 1/2 × 20 1/2 in. (41.9 × 52.1 cm)
Sheet: 22 3/16 × 29 7/8 in. (56.4 × 75.9 cm)
Framed: 28 × 32 × 1 1/2 in. (71.1 × 81.3 × 3.8 cm)
Credit Line Museum purchase with funds from Estate of Herman B Wells via the Joseph Granville and Anna Bernice Wells Memorial Fund, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 2012.42
About this Work
Robert Barnes taught in IU’s fine arts department for thirty-five years before retiring in 1999. Although residing primarily in Bloomington, Indiana; Umbria, Italy; and Searsport, Maine, he is loosely associated with the Chicago Imagists because of his training at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, his figurative subjects, and representation by major Chicago art dealers. Nonetheless, this piece is from one of his few series to address a specifically Chicago theme.
This image recalls the true story of the doomed honeymoon of John "Jack" Jones, the Dil Pickle Club's founder. He'd built a smal boat, and when he married his young girlfriend he decided to take her out on Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, he did not heed the warnings of his comrades on the bridge in the upper-left-hand corner, and the boat sank. While both tried to swim to shore, only Jones made it. This scene depicts the moment just prior to the tragedy with the spirits of those lost at sea coming up from the depths to claim his bride. Jones was blamed for killing her, but ultimately he was exonderated.
